BetAnySports’ NBA Playoffs Pick of the Week
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder- Tuesday, May 13
BetAnySports’ Line: OKC Thunder -5 1/2 and the Total is 212 1/2
The Western Conference Semifinals matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder shifts back to Chesapeake Energy Arena this Tuesday night for Game 5; with the best-of-seven series tied at two games apiece. Tip-off for this crucial showdown is set for 9:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
Los Angeles grabbed the early 1-0 edge in this series with a stunning 122-105 victory in Game 1 as a 5.5-point road underdog on BetAnySports’ closing NBA betting line. After falling 112-101 in Game 2 as five-point road underdogs, the Clippers gave the home court advantage right back to Oklahoma City in a 118-112 loss as 4.5-point favorites at home in Game 3. Determined to tie thing right back up, they bared down in a hard-fought 101-99 win this past Sunday night as five-point home favorites. The total stayed UNDER the 213.5-point closing line after it went OVER in two of the first three games of this series.
The big question mark for the Clippers on Tuesday night will be their ability to return to the form they showed in their first road game of this series. Chris Paul exploded for a game-high 32 points while shooting 12-of-14 from the field and 8-of-9 from 3-point range. In this past Sunday’s win it was Darren Collison’s turn to dial-up his game with eight of his 18 points coming in a fourth-quarter rally. Paul ended-up with 23 points and Blake Griffin led the way with a team-high 25 points.
The Thunder came into this series fresh-off an unexpected seven-game test against Memphis in which they had to overcome a 3-2 deficit with back-to-back victories both straight-up and against the spread. They took the 2-1 edge this time around with the victory in Game 3 as 4.5-point underdogs on the road. Oklahoma City is now 6-4-1 ATS in 11 playoff games and the total has gone OVER in seven of the contests.
It has been the Kevin Durant show for most of this series with Russell Westbrook also lending a pretty big hand. Durant put up 40 points in Sunday’s loss, following a game-high 36 points in Game 3 and 32 points in the second game against Los Angeles. The league’s newest MVP is averaging 31.1 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field in this year’s playoffs. Westbrook is the team?s second leading scorer with 26.3 PPG.
BetAnySports has opened the Thunder as 5.5-point home favorites for Tuesday night with the total set at 212.5. While Oklahoma City should be able to grind-out the SU win at home, take the Clippers to cover with the points in another tight one.